Ken Wakashimazu
Ken Wakashimazu (若島津 健, Wakashimazu Ken) is Japan's second best goalkeeper. Prior to the knockout stage of the World Youth, he was always Wakabayashi's main rival for the regular goalkeeper position. Profile Being Hyuga's best friend, Wakashimazu and him have played soccer together since childhood, and was Meiwa FC's goalkeeper; however, a car accident made him unable to play until Meiwa's match against Furano. He used to be a karate pratictioner before becoming a goalkeeper; known for this as the “Karate Keeper ”, Ken uses his karate skills and speed to his advantage as a goalkeeper. A cool guy, Ken is faithful to his best friends, Hyuga and Sawada. He is a bit conceited at first, though. Ken is calm and can read one team’s tactics very quickly. thumb|186px|leftWakashimazu followed Hyuga to the Toho Academy, becoming a regular the second year. Wakashimazu's father wanted him to focus more on karate and be part of his own dojo, the Wakadoryu Style, as he never managed to win the soccer national tournament against Nankatsu's two victories in a row. Therefore, Wakashimazu was determined to win the national tournament to keep on playing soccer; he also became Toho's captain during Hyuga's absence, keeping the team together aided by Sawada, and for the time he was put on the bench. Wakashimazu managed to keep on playing soccer thanks to a shared victory with Nankatsu (in which he almost managed to catch Tsubasa's Drive ShootA feat he wasn't able to accomplish at the time, and only later the Italian Gino Hernandez was the first keeper to be able to do this against Tsubasa.); after the tournament, he was chosen as the regular goal keeper of the All Japan Jr. Youth team. As Wakabayashi joined the team, he trained fiercely, thinking to be in competition with him for the GK position; but, injured against Hamburg Jr. Youth, his injury awakened and even worsened during the match against France, thus he wasn't able to play the final match. Winning the tournament three times in a row with Toho High School Team and his captain Hyuga, after the test matches against Holland Youth, Wakashimazu, like most of the other Japanese, wanted to focus on the Japanese Youth team. However, after a quarrel with coach Mikami about the regular goal keeper position (refusing to yield his position to Wakabayashi simply based on his playing professionally in the Bundesliga), he changed his mind and left the team, joining the J-league, in the Yokohama Flugels team. Progressing individually in the J-league, he still showed worries over All Japan Youth, and even wanted to play during a pinch, before seeing Wakabayashi on the field. Helping Hyuga with his mother's hospital expenses thanks to the money he earned in the J-league, he was convinced to go back to the team. He also decided to adopt a more aggressive style of playing, to balance Wakabayashi's superior defensive skills (style similar to the one adopted by Mexico's GK Espadas). Having proven himself time and again, he accepted to be Japan's second goalkeeper without problems, acknowledging Wakabayashi's skills. In Golden-23, Coach Kira decided to employ Wakashimazu as a forward (and it's also revealed that he had first wished to play in attack, but when Hyuga took over, he went to be a goalkeeper for the sake of the team), and he performed very well. He scored a goal in the friendly match against Nigeria and performed numerous post play. Abilities and Special techniques * Go to Ken Wakashimazu/Techniques Trivia *His name is Richard Tex Tex in the Latin American dub and Ed Warner in most European countries. He is named Ra'd (رعد) in the Arabic dub. Gallery |-|CT= Ken .jpg|In U-13 International Tournament. Wakashimazu Toho (CT).jpg|Wakashimazu Wakashimazu Toho (CT) 2.jpg|Wakashimazu Wakashimazu - seiken defense (CT).jpg|Shuto Defense |-|Shin, Movies= Soda Hyuga Ken Jito (SCT).jpg|With Toho jersey (1989 OVA) Japan_Jr_(SCT).jpg|Japan Jr. (1989 OVA) Wakashimazu (Movie 2).jpg|In Movie 2 Wakashimazu (Movie 2) 2.jpg|Sankaku Geri Wakashimazu (Movie 2) 3.jpg|In Movie 2 |-|J= Wakashimazu (J).jpg|Japan Youth |-|2001= Meiwa (2001) 2.jpg|In Meiwa FC Ken01.jpg|In Japan Jr. Road385.jpg|Wakashimazu with Matsuyama and Ishizaki |-|2018= Wakashimazu - Meiwa FC (2018).jpeg|Meiwa jersey |-|Manga= Meiwa FC.jpg|Meiwa Uniform (Manga) Meiwa Sliding Force (KD).jpg|Meiwa Sliding Force Tsubasa_Miracle_Drive_Shoot_(Ch_82).jpg|Miracle Drive Shot vs Toho MS |-|Illustrations= Wakashimazu (G23).jpg|Ken Wakashimazu Golden-23 Toho HS (DT).png Nankatsu HS vs Toho HS (DT).png|Hyuga vs Nankatsu ken 2.PNG ken 1.PNG Notes Category:Captains Category:Forwards Category:Goalkeepers Category:Japanese Category:Players of J1 League Category:Players of Japan Category:Characters introduced in Kids' Dream arc Category:Karate style players Category:Vice-captains Category:Sweeper-keepers Category:Goalscoring keepers